In Your Dreams
by xxBuffyObsessedxx
Summary: What if your life sucked; would you want to change it? Everyone would, but what about the consequences there would be? No one thinks about those, which is how we get into trouble. There are strange forces in the world and because we are all unable to think about those consequences, it is easy for those forces to ensnare us with promises and a little magic. Thus, a slayer is needed.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

"How... how are you here? You've only been in my dreams, you're only supposed to be in my head... Am I going crazy?"

She held her head between her hands, thinking of reasons why she would be hallucinating her literal dream guy. He was staring right at her with the kind and knowing eyes she had created. All the dreams she had had over the summer had been slowly building her perfect world. Everything had been her creation and she had to answer to no one but herself. She felt powerful in these dreams; she was the heroine, the creator, and the beneficiary.

It left her wanting a fantasy world to become real, was it finally happening? Or was her mind finally cracking under the pressure of reality? She couldn't tell. Her mind was racing as she lifted her face to look at this strange man again.

"Are you planning on answering me, Katie?" He said this rather impatiently. He had an air of superiority as well as authority. "Isn't that what you wanted? That's why you dreamed me up in the first place, to escape from the real world. That's why you read so much, why you avoid people as much as you can. I know you as well as you know yourself, I know this is what you want. Not everyone gets this choice. Not everyone gets to choose to escape reality.

He took a step closer to her desk, holding out his hand."You know you want this, you made this decision a long time ago. You made this decision before you even created me."

He was right of course. She remembered thinking a million times how much better it would be if she lived in a different place, where reality was what she chose or at least different than how it was now. Fantasy could become reality; that was what this guy was offering. She would want this desperately while watching movies, reading her favorite books, and even after she had woken from her dreams. There never seemed to be a moment when she didn't want to run away from this world.

Except when she was with Jared. Everything actually seemed right when she was with him. She finally felt accepted, wanted and even maybe loved. This just didn't feel like it was enough for her though. She wanted the whole school, her own family, the world. She needed to know that she had a place, but couldn't she just work on her social awkwardness and make things work in this reality with Jared?

This realization washed over her mind; thoughts becoming even more frantic. Now she wasn't sure at all what she wanted. She could live in this place that had depressed her all her life and stay with the one thing in it that made sense, or she could take this man's hand and live happily ever after in a world where she could make reality what she wanted. No extra work was involved in his offer. Her heart felt heavy, she felt this should be an easy decision.

His eyes glinted red in the light as she looked down at her hand. "Come on, this is what you have been dreaming of. It's the chance of a life time."

She raised her head, a determined look on her face, and grasped his hand. There was a sudden warm tingle that ran up her arm as everything around her warped and shifted into the shadows. Her last thought was of Jared's reaction to her absence, until her mind felt that tingle and nothing else mattered.

A big smile passed over his face as he led her into the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Buffy slowly made her way into her first period class after a long night of hunting with nothing to show for it. She had stayed out all night, hoping to get out a little pent up aggression on some unsuspecting vamps. Unfortunately, everyone seemed to have something better to do last night rather than hang out at the Bronze or creep around the cemetery. Everyone, that is, except her.

"Hey Buffster, how was the slayage last night? Bag anything worthwhile?" Xander whispered conspiratorially in Buffy's ear.

"Absolutely nada. The cemetery was silent as the grave … for once." She rolled her eyes and tapped her pencil along the edge of the desk.

"Whoa, what's with the edgy vibes? Are you feeling ok Buffy? Are you nervous about the test?" Willow anxiously set her books down and watched Buffy carefully.

"Uh... there's a test?" Buffy slumped her exhausted shoulders even more. How was she ever going to pass highschool with all her other responsibilities? Especially when she didn't even have anything to show for her slayer work. She groaned and let her head fall into her hands.

"Don't worry, Buff. I didn't study either. We can fail the test together." said Xander.

Willow looked at the two of them disapprovingly as the bell rang and the teacher walked in. Mrs. Whinston wore a depressing, gray dress that fell to her knees matching perfectly with her face. She grimly set down her things and quietly calmed the class down.

"Students, I have an announcement. One of your classmates, Katie South, was found this morning in one of the study hall rooms. She will be in the Sunnydale hospital for a little while. She doesn't seem to be physically hurt, but she is completely unresponsive to any type of stimulation. If anyone knows of anything or just wants to visit her later, come talk to me or any of the administrators …" She quickly wiped her eyes and turned toward the board. "Now students, I hope you studied for that test."

Everyone in the class immediately began whispering about Katie. "Do you think she has some sort of brain disease? Maybe she got overwhelmed by homework or something? Who is Katie South?" These questions circulated for a full five seconds before Mrs. Whinston put a stop to it. "Quiet! Everyone, clear your desks and get ready for the test."

The class quieted down for the rest of the period and Mrs. Whinston sat at her desk anxiously fiddling with her grading pen and looking distantly at the clock on the wall.

"What's her problem?" Buffy turned around and asked Xander and Willow.

"Katie is planning on being an English major in college, she has gotten really close with Mrs. Whinston. She is probably just worried." Willow looked sympathetically at her teacher. "Even I'm worried. Katie seemed perfectly fine to me."

"These things happen I guess. How do you know Katie anyway? You're more of a science gal, aren't ya Willow." Xander said as he began to circle the multiple choice letters in a zigzag fashion down his test.

"We occasionally hang out in study hall."

"Maybe I should try this studying thing." Buffy said as she worriedly looked through the test questions.

Later, after Buffy managed to guess her way through whatever educational obstacles stood in her way, she made it to the safety of the library. She could train with Giles and get out all of the stress that the school day had inflicted on her.

"Giles where'd ya go?" She jumped casually up on the large central table and sat with her legs dangling off the side. "It's time to train. I need to get my adrenaline pumping." She looked around and saw Giles nowhere. "Hmm..."

She quietly jumped off of the table and creeped around some bookshelves in order to forge a silent path to the library office. As she began to tip-toe to the door, she heard a soft rustling noise and a grunt. "What is that?" she whispered as she edged closer. She finally made it to the door and slowly turned the door knob, getting her limbs ready for action if needed.

She swung the door open to find … Giles asleep at his desk. The rustling and grunt had been caused by random movements he made while dreaming. Buffy sighed and felt a little disappointed. First no action in the hunt last night and now her Watcher is asleep on the job. In exasperation, she picked up one of the dusty tomes and dropped it with a huge thud on the office floor.

Giles jumped awake and stood up quickly in a fighting stance. "Wha- Who's ther- Oh, Buffy... How nice to see you..." He began to clean his glasses.

"Giles, Giles, Giles." Buffy used her best disappointed tone. "Since when do these books put YOU to sleep?"

"It wasn't the books, I've just been exhausted lately. It's so easy to fall asleep and so hard to wake back up again." Giles looked thoughtfully down at his books.

"Someone's getting a little old aren't they?" Buffy teased as she flipped through a page or two in the book closest to her. "What were you researching anyway?"

Irritated, Giles grabbed the book away and cast Buffy a look of complete disdain, "I am not getting that old, I still have enough youth in me to train the likes of you." He sighed and put the books down. "I'm just researching a few demons, nothing special really."

"Geez, let's all calm down a bit. Giles, are feeling well? You look a little frazzled." She moved a bit closer concernedly twiddled her fingers. "Is this because of that Katie girl?"

Giles looked startled. "What about this Katie girl?"

"She was found this morning in study hall, pretty much comatose."

"How sad..." Giles again looked thoughtfully down at his books. "I didn't realize. I came in late this morning. Overslept."

"Yeah, all the teachers are a bit freaked out about it. She was apparently a rock star student or something." Buffy began playing with the dust that had settled on the desk, clearly losing interest in the conversation. "So, are we going to train some time today, or am I free to go?"

"Yes, of course we'll train. Just give me a second to get organized."

"Alright, see ya on a few." Buffy walked off into the main library where Willow and Xander had congregated.

Giles picked up what books had fallen and quickly flipped through the pages, finally landing on a page that made his face twist into one of consternation. " … I wonder … "


End file.
